Chimezie Metu is staying at USC for his junior season, the school confirmed Monday night.

The 6-foot-11 forward had considered entering the NBA Draft, where it was possible he could have been picked in one of the two rounds in June.

“Year 3 coming soon…,” Metu announced in a post on Instagram, affixed with a black-and-white photo of him celebrating in front of rows of USC fans.

The news is a boon to the Trojans, who are looking to build off a second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. They advanced to the round of 32 last month and finished with a program-record 26 wins in Coach Andy Enfield’s fourth season.

Metu was the Pac-12’s most improved player after he averaged 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots per game. His presence in the middle was of particular importance for USC, which played almost half the season without leading scorer Bennie Boatwright, another sophomore forward, because of a knee injury. Metu started all 36 games.

Since he arrived as a freshman with the 2015-16 season, Metu has energized crowds at the Galen Center with a variety of rim-rocking slam dunks. His athleticism is a primary reason he is considered a potential top pro prospect. Draft Express projects Metu as a mid-first-round pick in the 2018 draft.

USC could begin next season in the Top 25 rankings, where it spent five consecutive weeks in December and January after finishing its nonconference schedule undefeated.

While Metu promises to be back, the Trojans also await draft decisions from Boatwright, guard Elijah Stewart and guard Shaqquan Aaron. All three players declared for the draft in the past month, but none has hired an agent, meaning they retain their college eligibility and can return to school if they withdraw by May 24.

Joey Kaufman is the USC beat writer for the Southern California News Group. Since joining the Orange County Register in 2015, he has also covered Major League Baseball and UCLA athletics. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors and Football Writers Association of America. Kaufman grew up in beautiful downtown Burbank.